Shakhtar magazine: latest issue

In this issue, you will find an interview by the Pitmen’s mentor. Mircea Lucescu assessed the team’s performance in the past year and revealed a few coaching secrets.

Besides, you will find in the magazine an interview of Anton Kanibolotskiy. Shakhtar goalkeeper summed up the passing year results and shared his plans for the coming year.

- Of course, making it to the spring part of the UEFA club competitions is the main goal. But I think we had a very strong group. Another question is this: maybe we not shown our best. We still have that unpleasant aftertaste caused by the defeats, so it’s unpleasant both for the team and the fans. There is another problem: in the domestic league we play against the teams who defend for 90 minutes, and you have to use just one game pattern. In the Champions League against the top teams, just on the contrary, we have to pay more attention to our defensive performance. For a goalkeeper, however, it is better when they are under pressure, being involved continuously. And it’s much worse when the Ukrainian league you face danger just once in a game, and under no circumstances you can let you team down... And yet, Shakhtar have advanced to the Europa League. I would not like to plan ahead, but we will make every effort to reach the competition final.

You will learn about the specifics of maintenance of the stadium pitches, on which the Orange-Blacks play their home games, in the opinion piece of Vadim Gunko, the acting CEO of Donbass Arena.

- The objectives for the nearest future are predetermined by February’s Europa League clash. We need to bring the pitch in excellent condition before the game. We cannot just mothball it, as they do at many stadiums in Ukraine. Therefore, we will grow the grass as if it’s summer now, with the heating and lighting systems deployed, along with the grass growth enhancement. The turf will be fertilized, overseeded and protected.

Read the opinion pieces of Shakhtar striker of the 1980s Sergei Kravchenko and Shakhtar Academy Director Aleksandr Funderat. Also look for exclusive photos, statistics, analytics and other interesting content.